An electric vehicle, which is equipped with only an electric motor as driving source, emits a significantly low traveling sound when traveling at a low speed. Similarly a hybrid vehicle, which is equipped with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as driving sources, also emits a significantly low traveling sound when traveling at a low speed only with driving power of the electric motor. Accordingly, a pedestrian or other person may not notice proximity of such a vehicle.
In consideration of this, a vehicle proximity annunciator device equipped in such a low noise vehicle is used practically, for example, as described in JP-A-2012-17071. The vehicle proximity annunciator device generates an annunciation sound signal of which a frequency changes according to a vehicle speed and emits an annunciation sound based on the annunciation sound signal to the outside of the vehicle to notify a pedestrian and the like around the vehicle of existence of the vehicle.
The vehicle proximity annunciator device as described above begins to operate when the vehicle proximity annunciator device is supplied with electric power via an ignition (IG) power supply of a vehicle battery according to an operation of a starter switch and the like. When the vehicle proximity annunciator device begins to operate, a pop noise such as a pop and the like is generated in a speaker causes a reduction of commercial value.